The U.S. Department of Justice's release of approximately 3.5 million pages of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein has reignited a contentious debate within the cryptocurrency community, specifically concerning the origins of Ripple and its native token, XRP. The documents, released on January 30, 2026, include redactions to protect victims and ongoing matters.
A key point of focus is a July 1, 2014, email in which an informant reportedly told Epstein that Jed McCaleb, after leaving the collapsed Mt. Gox exchange, was working on a "secret Bitcoin" project. Some members of the XRP community have interpreted this as evidence that Epstein had someone monitoring Ripple and XRP in their early stages, suggesting potential hidden influence or surveillance.
However, a closer examination of the timeline challenges this interpretation. McCaleb co-founded Ripple (then OpenCoin) in 2012 and left the project in 2013. In 2014, he co-founded the Stellar network. Several analysts argue that the "secret Bitcoin" reference more plausibly aligns with the early development of Stellar, not Ripple or XRP.
Another document added fuel to the fire: a 2014 email from Blockstream co-founder Austin Hill to Epstein and others. In the message, Hill argued that Ripple and Stellar were harmful to the broader crypto ecosystem. He urged major funders to reduce or halt their support for these projects, stating that backing Bitcoin-focused projects alongside Ripple and Stellar was like "betting on two horses in the same race." This email highlights the deep-seated rivalries that existed in the industry's formative years.
Ripple's Chief Technology Officer, David Schwartz, weighed in on the resurfaced correspondence. He stated that treating supporters of XRP or Stellar's XLM as enemies damages the entire sector and fuels further division. Schwartz emphasized that there is no evidence of direct meetings or agreements between Epstein and Ripple, XRP, or Stellar in the files. "I hate to be a conspiracy theorist, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is just the tip of a giant iceberg," he commented, while also urging caution against drawing conclusions without clear proof.
The debate underscores how the crypto industry attracted attention from various powerful figures from its inception and how strong opinions helped shape the market. For now, the episode reflects historical tensions rather than revealing new, concrete information about the creation of XRP.
